88,419 research outputs found
Pioneers of Library Movement in Pakistan
Full text linkThe paper aims to describe in brief the contribution of seven leaders of Pakistan librarianship, viz. K.B. Khalifa M. Asadullah, Prof. Dr. Abdul Moid, Dr. Abdus Subuh Qasimi, Muhammad Shafi, Fazal Elahi, Khawaja Nur Elahi and S. V. Hussain. The early library developments are given for better understanding of the role of these leaders
Factors affecting e-government adoption in the state of Qatar
No full textElectronic government (e-government) initiatives are in their early stages in many developing countries and faced with various issues pertaining to their implementation, adoption and diffusion. Although e-government has increased transparency and improved communication and access to information for citizens, digital diffusion of information is often achieved at high cost to government agencies. Conversely, citizens’ adoption of e-government services has been less than satisfactory in most countries. While studies by researchers continue to outline the most salient adoption constructs, as well as various frameworks and models for understanding adoption, research by independent consultancy/research organisations has produced a host of statistics and league tables of good and bad practices of service delivery. Like many other developing countries, the e-government initiative in the state of Qatar has faced a number of challenges since its inception in 2000. This study utilises the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to explore the adoption of e-government services in the state of Qatar. 1179 citizens were surveyed to collect primary data. A regression analysis was conducted to examine the influence of the factors adapted from the UTAUT on e-government adoption. Reliability test reported values of the various constructs vary between (0.74) and (0.91). The findings reveal that effort expectancy and social influences determine citizens’ behavioural intention towards e-government. Additionally, facilitating conditions and behavioural intention were found to determine citizens’ use of e-government services in Qatar. Implications for practice and research are discussed
The relationship between ilm and khabar in the work of al-Shafii
No full textThis study examines in detail the basis of al-Shafi`i's arguments for the
supremacy of oral tradition over communal legal practice. It concentrates on one
broad issue, the definition of `ilm (knowledge) and one technical issue, the problem
of authenticating a particular khabar (oral tradition or report, plural akhbar, ) and its
binding nature, especially a report of the category known as the specialists' report
(khabar al-khassa). On the first issue, this study examines the concept of knowledge
based on reports (`ilm al-khabar) because it had an important influence on al-Shafi`i.
This is followed by a detailed account of al-Shafi`i's own discussion of `ilm. It brings
out clearly that al-Shafi`i means religious law when discussing `ilm. It also shows
how knowledge of religious law can be obtained. Al-Shafi`i's approach is to restrict
the argument to knowledge of specialised and debatable points, rather than what is
generally accepted. He seeks to prove the indispensability in this area of specialists'
knowledge of reliable documentation external to the law itself. The following chapter
deals with the question of authenticating a khabar from the Prophet (a hadith), not as
purely technical question but within a polemical context in which the practical
difficulty of authenticating a khabar was used by those opposed to the intellectual
dominance of oral tradition as a reason not to use the khabar. In the final chapter al-
Shaf i's arguments with two identifiable schools of opposing thought, ahl al-kaläm
and ahl al-figh, are examined in detail. The thesis as a whole gives a significant
insight into the efficacy and durability of al-Shafi`i's arguments, not so much by
defeating his opponents' arguments but by buttressing those of the defenders and
advocates of oral tradition
A Lightweight Controller for Autonomous Following of a Target Platform for Drones
No full textDrones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are providing interminable opportunities to capture high-quality video feeds that were previously impossible and have transformed the digital era. Many applications today require computer vision (CV) and machine learning (ML) techniques to extract the useful information captured from the onboard camera, and send it to an embedded controller that can make independent decisions. For instance, maneuvering the drone to follow a target platform by using only the onboard camera feed is critical in target tracking. Therefore, in this paper, we exploit the applicability of a low-computational embedded tracking controller to follow a target platform e.g. a car or pedestrian, and thus, react in real-time, adjusting the drone steering angles and velocity. We developed a system that enables drones to follow a target platform autonomously without requiring continuous human intervention on an embedded state-of-the-art STM32 Nucleo board. The system includes a lightweight controller that controls the drone's movement and enables it to track and follow a target platform accurately. To validate the performance of our embedded controller, we performed a number of experiments in an open-source AirSim simulator. The tracking controller footprint and memory consumption was less than 3%, and was able to reliably track and trail the target platform in different environmental conditions
E-government adoption in Qatar: An investigation of the citizens' perspective
No full textElectronic government (e-government) initiatives are in their early stages in many developing countries and faced
with various issues pertaining to their implementation, adoption and diffusion. Like many other developing
countries, the e-government initiative in the state of Qatar has faced a number of challenges since its inception in
2000. Using a survey based study this paper describes citizens‟ behavioural intention and adoption in terms of
applying and utilising the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of technology (UTAUT) model to explore the
adoption and diffusion of e-government services in the state of Qatar. A regression analysis was conducted to
examine the influence of e-government adoption factors and the empirical data revealed that performance
expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influences determine citizens‟ behavioural intention towards e-government.
Moreover, facilitating conditions and behavioural intention were found to determine citizens‟ use of e-government
services in the state of Qatar. Implications for practice and research are discussed
Novel compositional engineering for ~26% efficient CZTS-perovskite tandem solar cell
No full text[EN] The production and commercialization of solar cells should meet such social criteria as price affordability, environment friendly, stability, and high efficiency of established materials.Various solar cells have been suggested and investigated in the past; but in this work, CZTS-Pemvskite tandem solar cell having a model "CZTS/PSC/CZTS/ZnO/FTO" was taken from the reported work as a reference. Furthermore, inserting the CdS as a buffer layer with the new model, "CZTS/ PSC/CZTS/CdS/ZnO/FTO" was simulated with SCAPS-1D software. Moreover, it was observed that the effect of CdS enhanced the tandem device efficiency from the base case of 22.57% without the CdS buffer layer to 25.95% with CdS and carried out further optimizations. This improvement is beneficial for CZTS-Perovskite tandem solar cells. The J-V characteristics curve and energy band diagram was generated using this model. Later on, with this new model, the effect of the thickness of CZTS layer on the solar cell's performance was investigated. So, the thickness also significantly affected the characteristic parameters of the solar cell as well as the J-V characteristics curve. Hence, a photo-conversion efficiency of 25.95% with Voc 1.18 V, Jsc 24.79 mA/cm(2) and FF 88.36%, the obtained results demonstrating that the proposed CZTS-perovskite tandem solar cell may concrete the way for the production of low-cost and more efficient photovoltaic applications.The work was supported by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, International Research Support Initiative Program (IRSIP) under grant No: 1-8/HEC/HRD/2020/10744 PIN: IRSIP 45 Engg 17. Author Amal Bouich acknowledged the Post-doctoral contract supported by the, RRHH, Postdoctoral contract the Margarita Salas financed with union European Next Generation EU. Author Shafi Ullah acknowledged the post-doctoral contract supported by the, RRHH, postdoctoral contract (PAID-10-20) , and Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (Grant Number PID2019-107137RB-C21) , Universitat Politecnica de Vale`ncia (UPV) Spain.Aamir Shafi, M.; Khan, L.; Ullah, S.; Shafi, MY.; Bouich, A.; Ullah, H.; Marí, B. (2022). Novel compositional engineering for ~26% efficient CZTS-perovskite tandem solar cell. Optik - International Journal for Light and Electron Optics. 253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijleo.2022.168568S25
Dr. Glendon Swarthout
No full textHosted by Roger M. Busfield, MSU Assistant Professor of Speech and Theater, Meet the Author is designed to introduce a general audience to a contemporary author and their work through in-depth interviews. This episode features a conversation between Dr. Glendon Swarthout, prolific author and English professor at MSU, and assistant professors Sam S. Baskett and Theodore B. Strandness
Simulation of thermal plant optimization and hydraulic aspects of thermal distribution loops for large campuses
Full text linkFollowing an introduction, the author describes Texas A&M University and its utilities system. After that, the author presents how to construct simulation models for chilled water and heating hot water distribution systems. The simulation model was used in a $2.3 million Ross Street chilled water pipe replacement project at Texas A&M University. A second project conducted at the University of Texas at San Antonio was used as an example to demonstrate how to identify and design an optimal distribution system by using a simulation model. The author found that the minor losses of these closed loop thermal distribution systems are significantly higher than potable water distribution systems. In the second part of the report, the author presents the latest development of software called the Plant Optimization Program, which can simulate cogeneration plant operation, estimate its operation cost and provide optimized operation suggestions. The author also developed detailed simulation models for a gas turbine and heat recovery steam generator and identified significant potential savings. Finally, the author also used a steam turbine as an example to present a multi-regression method on constructing simulation models by using basic statistics and optimization algorithms. This report presents a survey of the author??s working experience at the Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL) at Texas A&M University during the period of January 2002 through March 2004. The purpose of the above work was to allow the author to become familiar with the practice of engineering. The result is that the author knows how to complete a project from start to finish and understands how both technical and nontechnical aspects of a project need to be considered in order to ensure a quality deliverable and bring a project to successful completion. This report concludes that the objectives of the internship were successfully accomplished and that the requirements for the degree of Degree of Engineering have been satisfied
The Folio: F. C. C. Magazine
No full textEditorial. pp. 1-2; Samuel, V. M.-Essay-Pilgrimage to Lincoln's Tomb. pp. 2-7; Burke, D. C.-Article-Self-Importance. pp. 7-10; Chaubey, S. K.-Article-The Artist's Cry. pp. 10-11; The Co-Eds' Corner. pp. 11-12; Ranjit Kumar-Whiffs of Wisdom. pp. 12-13; Goverdhan Das-Poetry-Moments of Tryst. pp. 13; Kak, B. N.-Tourism-Kashmir. pp. 13-15; Satyindra Singh-News and Notes. pp. 16-18; W. P. B. pp. 19-20; News from the Outposts. pp. 20-21; The Alumni Corner. pp. 21-22; In Memoriam. pp. 23-24; [Hindi]. 12 p.; Punjabi Kiyari [Punjabi]. 4 p.; The Folio [Urdu]. 16 p.S. Bhagat Singh Malhotra, K. B. S. Maqbool Shah. after page 20; M. K. Tandon, Masud H. Sayid, Philipose Mathai. after page 22; M. L. Banerji, Rev Canon A. B. Chandu Lal, Rev J. Ali Baksh, Mangat Rai, Malik Mohd. Shafi. after page 2
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